NL MVP watch

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It’s time for the NL MVP watch, version 3.0. The top two spots in the “what if the voting happened today” scenario are pretty clear-cut, but after that, there are at least a dozen players worthy of mention.

So even though standouts like Carlos Gomez, Clayton Kershaw, Dee Gordon, Anthony Rendon, Freddie Freeman and Johnny Cueto didn’t make the list this time around, don’t be surprised to see them back in the mix next month and factoring into the actual voting at the end of the season.

Why he’s here: Tulo might not be on pace for the best offensive season ever for a shortstop anymore, but he’s still the favorite to win the NL MVP. He leads the majors in batting average and on-base percentage, and is a close second to Jose Abreu in slugging percentage. If Andrew McCutchen continues his charge, though, Tulowitzki’s extreme home/road splits might work against him; Tulo’s hitting .437 with a 1.267 OPS at Coors Field, and just .265 with a .830 OPS on the road.

Must read: Would the Rockies, who are already out of the playoff race (again), consider trading Tulowitzki if the right deal came along? Colorado fans might not like it, but it’s not an impossible situation to imagine. Denver Post writer Mark Kiszla asked Tulowitzki what he thinks about the possibility.

Why he’s here: At this point, can we all agree McCutchen has assumed Albert Pujols’ former role as automatic top-five NL MVP candidate every year? Pittsburgh’s superstar was third in the voting in 2012, won the award in 2013 and has added to his total package this year; he leads the NL in walks and has a career-best on-base percentage of .418 (impressive, considering he was at .400 in 2012 and .404 in 2013).

Why he’s here: Stanton’s counting numbers dipped a bit in June (five homers, nine RBIs), but he hit .308 with a .934 OPS in the month. He still sits atop the NL in homers and RBIs, though, and still is second in WAR to Tulowitzki (by both FanGraphs and Baseball-reference versions of the stat).

Must read: The Marlins probably aren’t going to trade Stanton, who is under club control through the 2016 season, anytime soon. But he’s still the subject of plenty of trade speculation, mostly from fans of other teams who would love to get him on their team. What type of return could the Marlins get, should they consider moving him? Marlins blog Fish Stripes takes a look.

Among NL starting pitchers, Wainwright hasn’t gotten as much attention as Clayton Kershaw, but he’s a better MVP candidate at the moment because Kershaw spent the month of April on the disabled list. Wainwright has a better ERA (1.79 to 1.85) and has thrown 43 2/3 more innings than Kershaw. There’s immense value there. If Kershaw closes that innings gap while maintaining his incredible 11.9 K/9 ratio and miniscule 1.48 FIP another few months, he could sway voters. But not at the moment.

His campaign for the starting All-Star nod fell short, but that’s about the only thing Lucroy’s failed at this season. The Milwaukee backstop is third in the NL with his .326 average, which pairs nicely with his nine home runs, 30 doubles and 44 RBIs. His production is a huge reason the Brewers have spent the past few months atop the NL Central.

He’s been the constant bat in the Reds’ lineup, a much-needed source of production with Joey Votto and Jay Bruce meandering through subpar seasons. Frazier has 17 homers and 13 stolen bases, he’s sixth in the NL in WAR (by FanGraphs and B-R), and he’s on pace to shatter pretty much every career mark he hasn’t already set.

Puig had a poor June (.248 average, zero homers) after a great May (.398, eight homers), which is why he’s no longer a top-three candidate. He’s a good July away from getting back into the thick of the chase, though, because his overall numbers (.307 average, .908 OPS, 12 homers, 50 RBIs) are still excellent.

Yes, the Diamondbacks stink this season. But Goldschmidt continues to produce like an MVP; he’s top seven in the NL in average (.313), on-base percentage (.402) and slugging percentage (.558) to go with 16 homers and 59 RBIs.